Having reached the dramatic final of last season’s UEFA Champions League, Internazionale would host the first leg of the 2023/24 round-of-sixteen against Atlético de Madrid on Tuesday night.
INT: Sommer; Bastoni, de Vrij, Pavard; Dimarco, Mkhitaryan, Calhanoglu, Barella, Darmian; Martínez, Thuram
ATL: Oblak; Hermoso, Giménez, Witsel; Lino, Niguez, Koke, De Paul, Molina; Griezmann, Llorente
Internazionale were by far the brighter side throughout the entirety of Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League clash at the Giuseppe Meazza in Milan.
With Diego Simeone making his 100th managerial appearance in the tournament, the Argentinian’s side would fail to force Yann Sommer into a solitary save over the course of ninety minutes – allowing the shotstopper to record his 21st clean sheet of the season.
As the match was seemingly heading for a goalless stalemate, it was Marko Arnautovic that arrived off the bench to hand the hosts the upper hand in this two-legged contest.
Embed from Getty ImagesHaving replaced the injured Marcus Thuram at the break, Arnautovic pounced in the 79th minute to steer home from a tight angle after Lautaro Martínez’s initial effort was parried into his path by Jan Oblak.
Still undefeated since December 20, Internazionale will now feel confident of progression to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League when they visit the Civitas Metropolitano on March 13.
